Rock’n Roll on Museum Monday with Rick’s Picks

Ello Kiddies!

On this Museum Monday, we are going to take a tour through some rock ’n roll history in Rockford, Illinois.  The Burpee Museum is currently exhibiting the guitar collection of one of the greatest musicians of all time, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, with Rick’s Picks.  This is not your average grouping of memorabilia.  From Cheap Trick’s humble beginnings of a local band to world-wide recognition, Rick saved everything from his worldwide tours, and now this nostalgia can be viewed by everyone at the Burpee.

Timeline of Rick Nielsen’s life

Nielsen, when asked what the exhibit means to him, had this to say, “It’s a lot more than just guitars. It’s my life. It’s perpetual motion, magic potions, evolutions, false conclusions, harmonic fusions, full color illusions, black and blue contusions, diffusions and delusions, late night seclusions, superstition and ambition, flights over oceans, shameless promotions, occasional demotions, sonic explosions, prepositions and compositions, traditions and transitions, collisions and decisions, expectations and exhilaration, havens and invasions, schemes, dreams and extremes, documentation and amplification, loving emotions conquering pre-conceived notions. It’s my story in guitars, music, video and all the stuff I’ve saved all these years: cracked open for all the world to see. Hope you come, hope you have fun, ‘cuz oh boy, this house’ll be rockin’.”

One of the most interesting aspects regarding the influence of Cheap Trick in Rockford is that everyone seems to have a story about the band.  Rick and his family have lived here for years, a part of the city’s nomenclature.  I have run into Mr. Nielsen several times on the Sunday morning Starbuck’s run before going to the grocery; he can be found having breakfast at the Stockholm Inn, a city staple, or dining at the Japanese restaurant JMK Nippon; driving past in traffic in his classic Thunderbird; there is even a special seat at the Coronado Theater tricked out in black and white checkerboard, a favorite design.  The influence of Rick can be seen throughout Rockford, as he continues to give back to the community.  He appears in YouTube tourism videos that parody the Wisconsin state senators who hid out in the Best Western Clock Tower Resort last year.

At Burpee, the immense exhibit had a real challenge to showcase Rick’s guitars and the accompanying memorabilia.  I cannot imagine the amount of meetings required to discuss the choices.   According to the website, Rick gave the keys to his colorful past and storage units to the curators and said, “Go for it!  Surprise me!”  Fans have declared Rick’s Picks “Better than Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Seattle’s EMP Museum.”

Rick being one of those guys that has common ground with any musician, brought along friends Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, Slash of Guns n’ Roses, Todd Rundgren and Joe Perry of Aerosmith.  Video commentary throughout the exhibit on the guitars and Rick’s influence on musicians is available on the latest iPad technology, with headphones to catch every nuance provided by Shure.

The art of this exhibit is found on the guitars.  Rick has a collection of 2000+, many of his own design, some are guitars of his celebrity friends like Brian May of Queen.  I particularly like the Batman guitar, but the showcase piece is Rick’s famous five neck, manufactured by Hamer in 1981.  This unique instrument was so popular onstage a second one was designed with the signature checkerboard pattern.  Why five necks?  Rick’s desire to play multiple guitars during songs spawned the creation.

The most creative idea in the exhibit is the drawers.  How else to showcase a collection of incredible miscellany that spans an entire career?  Early letters from Rick’s high school, lyrics to ‘Heaven Tonight’ on scraps of paper, tickets, boarding passes, hotel keys, its all there; showcased in drawers that can be opened by the viewer bringing the exhibit to a new level, with a personal invitation to dig through his drawers from Rick himself.

I would like to thank Alan Brown, executive director of the Burpee Museum, for pointing out that Cheap Trick has yet to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; the exhibition includes a petition drive to rectify this oversight.  And many thanks to Jay Graham of Graham and Spencer, who was giving a special insider tour when I visited the museum, providing many special insights and details.

I hope you have enjoyed this Museum Monday, I included lots of video clips and interview bits to click through on the photos.  A new Cabinet of Curiosities will be available on Friday.  If you have any comments on Rick’s Picks, please use the space below.  I hope you as much fun with this as I did!

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Cheers,

MJ

Jethro Tull Responsible for the Ban of Rock Music on Museum Monday

By Mary Jo Gibson

September 10, 2012

Way up in the mountains, above Denver, Colorado, lies the greatest scenery you could imagine.  The rocks jutting from the landscape, fabulous views overlooking the city of Denver, majestic mountains fill the horizon.  Red Rocks holds a special secret above the tourist enclave, where great pictures can be taken, but only a hint of what lies ahead, further up the mountain.  Navigating through a special viaduct in the rock walls and climbing further will bring you to the greatest natural amphitheater, set against the mountain wall.  A storied place with a history of its own.

Who built this?

The vision of Red Rocks began with John Brisben Walker in the early 1900s.  He produced a number of concerts on a temporary stage between 1906 and 1910.  The city of Denver purchased the area in 1928, employing architect Burnham Hoyt to design the venue.  Enlisting the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Work Projects Administration (WPA), labor and materials were provided by the venue.  Construction began in 1936, and completed in 1941.

Red Rocks in Rock History

The earliest notable rock performance was by the Beatles on August 26, 1964, the only concert not sold out during their US tour.  Jimi Hendrix performed in 1968, and U2 recorded two songs from their album Under a Blood Red Sky in 1983.  The Grateful Dead favored the venue with many performances, and Widespread Panic holds the record for the most sold out performances at Red Rocks, 35 and counting.

An incident in 1971 during a performance by Jethro Tull led to a five year ban of rock concerts at Red Rocks.  Approximately 1,000 people without tickets arrived at the sold out show.  Denver police directed the overflow, non paying crowd to an area behind the theater, where they could hear the music but not see the band.  The situation solved, right?  A group of people without tickets decided to charge the police line and broke through, then began lobbing rocks at the police.  The authorities responded with tear gas at the gate crashers.  The wind carried the tear gas over the hill into the paying crowd and onto the stage.  Following the ‘riot at Red Rocks’ the mayor of Denver banned rock concerts from the amphitheater.    The ban on rock and roll was finally lifted after five years through legal action by a promoter who tried to book the band America at the venue in 1975.  Bands were again welcomed beginning in 1976, and Jethro Tull did return in 2008 and 2011, inciting no further riots.

Red Rocks shares its treasures with visitors at their own museum of rock history.  An interactive wall of rock lists all the performances in chronological order, including kiosks with video clips of artists’ appearances.  Many instruments and other memorabilia line the walls; guitars from James Taylor, Stevie Nicks, appearance posters with art not seen since the 1970s.

One particular place at Red Rocks is unique, but not on the typical tour.  It is the Wall of Fame, autographed by the artists over the years.  The steps lead to the Front of the House mix position.  The walls on either side of the staircase are covered with signatures too.  This used to be part of the Red Rocks interactive site, but they have removed it.  I certainly hope they have documented the signatures over the years, it would make a great addition to their museum.

 

If you think of Red Rocks as just a beautiful park above the city of Denver, think again!  The only naturally occurring acoustically perfect amphitheater in the world is a worthwhile stop on a mountain trek.

I hope you enjoyed a virtual tour of Red Rocks and the history behind this natural phenomenon.  A great spoof of the Red Rocks dancing security man can be found here.  Look for another History of Rock entry when I tour Rick’s Picks at the Burpee Museum, featuring the rock history of Rick Nielsen, guitarist of hometown band, Cheap Trick.  I am excited to incorporate this new addition to my blog, and hope you enjoy it too!  After all, I am still a rocker chick at heart.

Cheers!

MJ